Hair removal through electrolysis has been performed for many years, and through this process women and others have been able to selectively remove hair from certain body areas. Essentially this hair removal process has been carried out by inserting a needle charged with a current into the hair follicle. This obviously can be a very painful process.
In the early stages of electrolysis there was much confusion and speculation as to why the process worked. Some investigators, for example, postulated that the hair follicle was "electrocuted". Later, it was determined that the process worked because of electrolytic action which gave rise to chemical decomposition in the hair follicle.
Now, the process of electrolysis as it relates to hair removal is very well understood. Within the hair follicle, there is found a solution of salt water and it is that solution of salt water that enables the electrolysis process to work. Essentially, by subjecting the salt water solution to an electrical current results in the salt, NaCl and the water, H.sub.2 O, breaking into their constituent chemical elements. This process is referred to as electrolysis and the subsequent rearrangement of the basic elements of salt and water is referred to as ionization. The new compound that is formed as a result of the ionization is sodium hydroxide, NaOH. The produced sodium hydroxide is highly caustic to the hair follicle and causes the same to die through a decomposition process. After the hair follicle has decomposed, the hair can be removed by a simple extraction process.
As pointed out above, hair removal through a conventional electrolysis process where the skin is actually penetrated with a current caring needle is very painful and slow. Therefore, there is a need for a less painful and more efficient process for removing unwanted hair.